The Chief Secretary of the Government of Tanzania, Amb. Ombeni Sefue, will chair a roundtable dinner on ‘Local Content’, on Monday in Dar es Salaam, to promote dialogue on local content amongst relevant stakeholders by providing cross-country lessons on Local Content Policies.
In the months following the approval of the national “Natural Gas Policy of Tanzania”, a policy debate has emerged on the need for a Local Content Policy. Such a policy aims at fostering linkages within the gas industry and to maximise the benefits of natural resource extraction for the economy. Frequent media reports reported public and private sector leaders calling for immediate action by the Government to ensure local enterprise development and job opportunities.
The roundtable event, which has been jointly organised by UONGOZI Institute, the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation, the Revenue Watch Institute/Natural Resource Charter and the World Bank, will gather representatives from the Government, private sector, academic sector, civil society and donor partners active in the local content agenda.
A joint statement by the organizers stated that “the event is the first in a series of planned monthly roundtable dinners which will provide a space for key stakeholders to gain and share knowledge on the design and implementation of local content policies and ultimately inform the local content policy making process".
The monthly roundtable dinners will continue to be chaired by the Chief Secretary and feature selected countries with relevant LCP experience that Tanzania could benefit from.
This month, the roundtable dinner will feature the experience of Trinidad and Tobago, with a keynote presentation from Anthony E. Paul, an oil and gas strategy consultant and Managing Director of the Association of Caribbean Energy Specialists Ltd.
“These dialogues are a crucial step in the development of the Local Content Policy,” said Prof. Semboja, "the presence of the Ambassador Sefue further demonstrates the commitment of the government to ensure that opportunities from natural gas extraction translate into increased opportunities for Tanzanian society as a whole”.
Linkage to other sectors is important...but what is the most important is to have strategies for good use of the monies especially on investing the same on education...that way we can ensure poverty reduction and a boost to other sectors like industries.
ReplyDeleteNijuavyo mimi hii sector ni pasua kichwa na haitoi ajira kubwa kwa kuwa ni capital intensive...tukomeshe rushwa baaasi ili ela iende kwenye sustainable development projects...tusibweteke kutegemea ela ya natural resources...itatuyumbisha